Chapter 8: Sword Hanging Over the Head

When the insect-ape's lifespan was nearing its end, and Gilgamesh was dying of old age, he used the Blood of Power, narrowly escaping death, to regain his youthful body and live a second life. He once again became the brave and passionate Hero-King of his youth, leading his tribe back into conquest.

Another ten years passed. The settled tribal era had spanned several generations, and their wooden houses were decaying and damaged. Under Gilgamesh's leadership, people began to build houses from stone, formally entering the Stone Age, an era of resistance against giant beasts.

Gilgamesh, possessing the genes of termites, could easily uproot century-old trees that would take four men to encircle. A single leap carried him seven or eight meters high, and he possessed the colossal strength to move mountains.

He led his people in resisting the giant beasts, ceaselessly waging war. Finally, thirteen years later, his momentum peaked, and he chose to challenge the most terrifying beast on the land, a hundred-meter behemoth renowned for its immense power—the legendary beast, Fenba!

The giant beast Fenba, when it lay prostrate, resembled a majestic mountain range. Its body spanned the entire Smikar Great Forest. The sound of its breathing and panting while it slept was enough to create gusts of wind in the lush great forest, causing countless giant trees to sway. A single snort from its nostrils was enough to blow away an Ala beast. It was the same terrifying, invincible beast that Xu Zhi had previously seen, a creature with a massive body resembling a small cat. It was the reigning king of the entire Age of Giant Beasts.

The great battle raged for three days and three nights. The earth cracked, valleys crumbled, and countless giant beasts fled in the forest.

On that day, Gilgamesh returned, bathed in blood, his physique powerful and handsome. In one hand, he held the Sword of Damocles; in the other, he dragged the hundred-meter corpse of the giant beast Fenba. The strength of his single arm, capable of dragging the hundred-meter corpse of Fenba, a beast comparable to a majestic hill, filled countless tribespeople with immense pride and extreme awe. Countless people wrote hymns for him, singing praises of his power, hailing him as the strongest Hero-King in history.

“I will establish a nation.”

At the moment of his return, looking at the people of the Stone Age tribe, he suddenly spoke these words. The tribe erupted in excitement! Overjoyed, they wept and embraced, knowing clearly that the days of wandering and hardship were over, and they no longer needed to fear the savage giant beasts.

A new era of civilization had begun!

History is written by the victors. Gilgamesh did not record the atrocity of slaying his son; instead, his valor was documented in 'The Genesis'.

The historical annals of the Sumerian Dynasty record: Gilgamesh consumed the Blood of Power, slew the legendary beast Fenba with his sword, established the Sumerian Dynasty, and moved colossal stones to create the first city-state in history, Uruk.

Time continued to pass. Invincible throughout the land, Gilgamesh began to dedicate himself to developing civilization. He governed diligently and effectively, valiant and incredibly charismatic, yet also tyrannical and arrogant beyond compare. He minted currency, refined language, and established cities. Yet, he cruelly categorized people into different social strata, establishing a system of slavery. He also squandered resources and manpower, dispatching numerous warriors to explore the world's boundaries.

He was a great Hero-King to his people, but also an undeniable tyrant.

In the eighty-seventh year of the Sumerian Dynasty, Gilgamesh was one hundred and twenty-seven years old. Uruk, the royal city, finally reached a staggering population of over ten million. Countless slaves were traded there, and even arenas were built where nobles found entertainment in forcing slaves to fight giant beasts, laughing uproariously.

The original tribal people had long since passed away. After nearly a century, their grandchildren and descendants no longer remembered the hardships and struggles of their ancestors, gradually succumbing to decay amidst comfort. Yet, the King of Sumer from those days remained valiant.

The dim and somber royal palace of Uruk. The vaulted ceiling was intricately carved with delicate patterns. White sconces cast a soft glow, illuminating rows of circular stone columns adorned with gilded wreath patterns on either side. The floor was covered with a crimson carpet made from the pelts of powerful giant beasts.

A towering, handsome man sat calmly on an exquisite throne made of white bones. Beside him, never leaving his side, lay the legendary Sword of Damocles.

“Great King of Sumer, Lord of the City-State! Your Majesty Gilgamesh!” Minister Dionysius, bowing slightly, passionately recounted the discoveries of recent years. “We have explored the entire land.”

“What is our world like?”

Gilgamesh, his physique as handsome as a Greek statue, sat on the throne made from Fenba's bones, seemingly gazing through the palace walls to the endless azure sky beyond. The warriors who had ventured forth, traveling from all directions, had undertaken a colossal endeavor spanning over two decades to complete a single circuit. Suffering countless casualties, they had only now ascertained the shape of the entire world.

Throughout Earth's history, every great ancient king harbored a strong thirst for knowledge and ambition regarding the world.

Dionysius, respectfully yet animatedly, gestured as he explained: “Our world is flat, with a circular sky. The sky is an infinitely high arc, and the ground is a perfect square. At its center lies a vast ocean, surrounded by mountains and rivers. On this immeasurably vast and endless land, riding the fastest Finchira beast in a straight line to its farthest edges would still take over twenty years of continuous travel....”

After a moment of silence, the greatest king in the world said, “Very well, you may withdraw.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Dionysius rose and departed. He suddenly paused, turning his head to gaze with fervent admiration at their king—the great Hero-King who had led them from caves, inaugurated the tribal agrarian age, and then propelled them from tribes into the era of city-states. He had slaughtered Fenba, the most terrifying King of Beasts, and was ushering in one civilization after another.

Over thirty years ago, Dionysius, then a youth and a renowned adventurer throughout the city-state, was summoned to the palace by His Majesty and tasked with surveying the entire geographical area. He was granted a lifelong, great mission by the king—to map the city-state's geography. Thirty years later, returning to the royal city of Uruk, he was no longer a youth but a trembling old man, his eyes clouded, with not long left to live.

Yet His Majesty remained young. Just as he had appeared during his first audience, his face was handsome and perfect; time, it seemed, had left no trace upon him.

“What a magnificent ruler!” Dionysius trembled, filled with fervent awe. For over a century, His Majesty had not needed to exert his power, his strength having long since reached an unfathomable level. Perhaps in the future, this long-lived, immortal king would lead the Sumerian people into the next era of civilization.

“Our world is flat, with a circular sky.”

Once the palace was empty, Gilgamesh let out a long sigh, then slowly drew the holy sword he had carried for years—the Sword of Damocles. Its blade was precisely crafted and finely detailed, emanating a sharp, cold steel glint. He gently stroked its surface, as if it were a lover who had accompanied him through endless years.

“The power of the torch has been mastered, and the effects of the Blood of Power are fully understood. But the Sword of Damocles... I have searched the entire world and still cannot fathom how it was forged.” Gilgamesh whispered, his voice filled with shock as he stroked the blade, “What material is this? What kind of giant beast's bones? Or what kind of civilization's craftsmanship?”

Regrettably, this world was, after all, not a true world. There were no mineral veins, no copper or iron ore. Xu Zhi had not deliberately placed any minerals, as this was originally just an ordinary farmland, with only soil beneath the surface. Consequently, they would forever remain in the Stone Age; in their understanding of the world, the word “metal” would never exist. To this world, this gleaming, unbreakable, hard material was mysterious, powerful, and utterly unique.

“We've reached the world's end, yet we still haven't found that great intelligent beast from back then. Where in the world does he truly live?” Gilgamesh took a deep breath. The civilization possessed by the intelligent beast was simply unfathomable.

This weapon, the Sword of Damocles, bestowed upon him, had been like a priceless treasure, a holy sword that initiated an entire civilization. Yet, was it not also a constant warning to him? He had only mastered a fraction of this civilization's power; the rest remained unknown. The very secret of how this sword was forged filled him with deep fear and trepidation!

The Sword of Damocles was indeed like the sword of Damocles, its tip hanging high above his head. This sword granted him the power of civilization—it was mighty, mysterious, and enabled him to forge brilliance. Yet, it was also extremely perilous, with its tip poised to descend at any moment, potentially claiming his life.

“The power of civilization... it is truly captivating.”

He sat on the throne, like a sleeping lion long at rest, his eyes slowly gazing into the distance. It was as if he peered through the long years back to the ancient forest of a century ago, envisioning the colossal figure he had encountered then—a gigantic being ten thousand feet tall, radiating pure white light, inherently divine. With a broad hand, this being had cradled his younger self, surveyed the world's mountains and rivers, and bestowed upon him three treasures of civilization.

“Alas, my life is nearing its end again. The Blood of Power no longer has any effect on me. I wish to live a third life.... Great intelligent beast, I wish to see you again!”